Caproni Ca.133
The Caproni Ca.133 was a three-engined aircraft originally developed as a civilian airliner but later converted to a military transport and light bomber. It served with the Italian Air Force in the late 1930s and in Abysinnia during World War 2. Some aircraft were employed as transports and also as commercial airliners. ''Biggles in Spain'' A Caproni bomber features prominently in Biggles in Spain. There is one at the airbase of Jock McLannock. Biggles and co. steal one to try to get behind enemy lines to rescue Jock. Ginger follows one, thinking it is Biggles but ends up getting shot down because he has followed the wrong plane. Later, Biggles and co. steal another Caproni to escape to France. The frontispiece of the 1st ed., drawn by Howard Leigh, clearly depicts a Caproni Ca.133. Sources are vague about whether the type was used in the Spanish Civil War but some sources do state that Franco had 10 of them for his Nationalist Forces. It is less clear if the Aviazione Legionaria (the Italian expeditionary air unit) used them. The first Caproni which Biggles stole was probably a Spanish nationalist one, which is plausible. Cy Harkwell in Chapter XIV said it was brought over by a deserter who was "fed up with the Franco mob". According to Harkwell, "half the Dons" don't know which side they want to fight for. The only inconsistency is that in Chapter X, the text mentions that the Caproni had two engines. In reality it had three. The second Caproni which Biggles stole was, however, used by the Italian Air Force. As stated, it is not clear if the Italians used this type in Spain. This Caproni could also have been the Ca.310. The Aviazione Legionaria used 16 of these in Spain. ''Sergeant Bigglesworth C.I.D. In ''Sergeant Bigglesworth C.I.D., Biggles and Ginger meet Carlos Scaroni and Max Grindler at Tripoli. The two criminals were about to board a "Caproni bomber adapted for commercial use" for a flight to Alexandria. This most probably refers to a Caproni Ca.133. Ala Littoria, the prewar Italian national airline, had a fleet of 10 Caproni Ca.133. Alitalia took over from Ala Littoria on 16 September 1946 but it is still plausible that the new airline inherited and continued to use the aircraft for some time. In Le cygne jaune, the graphic novel adaptation of C.I.D. published by Miklo, the artist Francis Bergèse also depicted the Scaroni and Grindler's airliner as a Caproni. In this case, he gave the aircraft the registration I-AECI, which is that of a Caproni Ca.148, a stretched passenger version of the Ca.133. Specifications *Crew: 5 (bomber) *Length: 15.36 m *Wingspan: 21.24 m *Empty weight: 4,190 kg *Loaded weight: 6,700 kg *Engines: 3 × Piaggio Stella P.VII C.16 air-cooled radial engines, 343 kW (460 hp) each *Maximum speed: 230 km/h (120 kn, 140 mph) *Cruise speed: 200 km/h (110 kn, 120 mph) *Range: 1,350 km (729 nmi, 838 mi) *Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft) Armament Guns: 4 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns Bombs: 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) External links *Spanish Civil War Aircraft. This well researched website lists the aircraft which took part in the Spanish Civil War and does not mention the Ca.133 but does mention the Ca.310. *wikipedia: Caproni Ca.133 *Spanish wikipedia Caproni Ca.133. The Spanish wikipedia entry mentions that the Nationalist forces operated 10 Ca.133. Unfortunately no citation for it. *wikipedia: Aviazione Legionaria *wikipedia: Caproni Ca.310 *wikipedia: Ala Littoria *Historical civil aircraft register of Italy. Note entry for I-AECI. Category:Aircraft Category:Actual aircraft Category:Aircraft (canonical works) Category:Aircraft which Biggles flew Category:Aircraft which Biggles flew (canon)